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United States Patent |
5,222,755
|
O'Neal
|
June 29, 1993
|
Trailer lock
Abstract
A trailer lock for preventing the use of a conventional trailer tongue
hitch on an unattached trailer vehicle. The lock comprises a towing ball
securely fastened to a chain which, in a preferred embodiment, is
installed in the socket of a trailer tongue to prevent an unattached
trailer from being attached to an unauthorized towing vehicle.
Inventors:
|
O'Neal; Gary L. (5065 McLendon Dr., Antioch, TN 37013)
|
Appl. No.:
|
696191 |
Filed:
|
May 6, 1991 |
Current U.S. Class: |
280/507; 70/14; 70/258; 280/511 |
Intern'l Class: |
B60D 001/60 |
Field of Search: |
280/501,507,511,513
70/14,258
|
References Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
2714912 | Aug., 1955 | Gonnella | 280/511.
|
3233913 | Feb., 1966 | Brown | 280/507.
|
3436101 | Apr., 1969 | Hanson | 280/511.
|
4832360 | May., 1989 | Christian | 280/511.
|
5037122 | Aug., 1991 | Beckerer, Jr. | 280/507.
|
Primary Examiner: Mitchell; David M.
Assistant Examiner: English; Peter C.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Gilden; Leon
Claims
What is claimed as being new and desired to be protected by LETTERS PATENT
of the United States is as follows:
1. A new and improved trailer lock comprising:
a towing prevention ball means selectively positionable within a socket of
a trailer tongue hitch, thereby to prevent an unattached trailer from
being knowingly attached to an unauthorized towing vehicle,
a locking hasp fixedly attached to said towing prevention ball means;
a chain attached to said towing prevention ball means by said locking hasp;
a lock for securing a free end of said chain to a locking lever associated
with said trailer tongue hitch, said lock further preventing a pivotal
movement of said locking lever when said lock is attached thereto, thereby
to prevent a removal of said towing prevention balls means from said
socket within said trailer tongue hitch; and
lubricant dispensing means including a cavity formed interiorly of said
ball means to form an oil reservoir therein, at least one aperture in said
towing prevention ball means and further including a replaceable cover on
the exterior of said ball means, said replaceable cover being of a foam
rubber construction to facilitate a controlled dispersion of said
lubricant on the exterior of said ball means, said at least one aperture
extending between said cavity and said replaceable cover to facilitate the
flow of oil from said cavity to said foam cover, and oil refill passage
means extending between said cover and said cavity for supplying oil to
said cavity.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to trailer locks, and more particularly
pertains to a new and improved trailer lock specifically designed to
prevent an unattached trailer from being attached to an unauthorized
towing vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of trailer locks is known in the prior art. More specifically, U.S.
Pat. No. 4,291,557, which issued to Marshall Bulle and Dale A. Johnson on
Sep. 29, 1981, discloses an antitheft device secured by sliding the device
over a ball connector type trailer hitch which automatically engages the
hitch by means of a spring loaded bolt, thereby to obstruct access by the
ball and prevent unauthorized use of a trailer. U.S. Pat. No. 4,542,914,
which issued to Lucius Shropshire on Sep. 24, 1985, discloses a hitch unit
for releasably attaching a towable vehicle to a towing vehicle or to a
fixed anchor. U.S. Pat. No. 4,577,884, which issued to Joel L. Harris on
Mar. 25, 1986, discloses a device for preventing unauthorized intentional
uncoupling or accidental uncoupling of a trailer from a towing vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,774,823, which issued to Douglas A. Callison on Oct. 4,
1988, discloses a hitch lock for disabling hitching couplers of trailer
vehicles. U.S. Pat. No. 4,794,769, which issued to Thomas H. Persons on
Jan. 3, 1989, discloses a ball hitch lock for lockably securing the ball
of a ball-type trailer hitch to a hitch tongue.
While the above mentioned devices are functional and well suited for their
intended usage, none of these devices disclose a trailer lock specifically
designed to prevent an unattached trailer from being attached to an
unauthorized towing vehicle. Further, the devices described in the above
listed patents have apparently not met with commercial success.
Accordingly, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for
new and improved trailer locks which provide for the prevention of
unauthorized towing. In this respect, the present invention substantially
fulfills this need.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of
trailer locks now present in the prior art, the present invention provides
an improved trailer lock which comprises a simple and rugged device for
preventing the unauthorized towing of a trailer vehicle. As such, the
general purpose of the present invention, which will be described
subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved trailer
lock which has all the advantages of the prior art trailer locks and none
of the disadvantages.
To attain this, the present invention comprises a trailer lock for
disabling the hitching mechanism of an unattached trailer vehicle. The
lock is a towing ball securely fastened to a chain and in a preferred
embodiment, it is installed in the socket of a trailer tongue to prevent
an unattached trailer from being attached to an unauthorized towing
vehicle.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features
of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that
follows may be better understood, and in order that the present
contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course,
additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter
and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention
in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its
application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the
components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the
drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being
practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood
that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose
of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon
which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the
designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the
several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore,
that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions
insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present
invention.
Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent
and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the
scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar
with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a
cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of
the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention
of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to
be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and
improved trailer lock which has all the advantages of the prior art
trailer locks and none of the disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved
trailer lock which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and
marketed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and
improved trailer lock which is of a durable and reliable construction.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and
improved trailer lock which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture
with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then
susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making
such trailer locks economically available to the buying public.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and
improved trailer lock which provides in the apparatuses and methods of the
prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming
some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various
features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with
particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this
disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating
advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should
be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there
is illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set
forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the
following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference
to the annexed drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of another prior art invention.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the trailer lock comprising the present
invention.
FIG. 4 is a front elevation view of the invention installed in a trailer
tongue.
FIG. 5 is a further side elevation view of the invention installed in a
different type of trailer tongue.
FIG. 6 is a top plan view of a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of the second embodiment of the invention
taken along the line 7--7 in FIG. 6.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a replaceable stretch-on outer cover
forming a part of the second embodiment of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
With reference to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5
thereof, a new and improved trailer lock embodying the principals and
concepts of the present invention and generally designated by the
reference numeral 10 will be described.
Initially however, reference is made to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings
wherein typical prior art trailer locks are illustrated. These prior art
locks are similar in function to the lock comprising the present
invention; however, they are designed to be permanent installations and
would defeat the intent and purpose of the present invention.
The trailer lock shown in FIG. 1 is particularly described in U.S. Pat. No.
4,774,823. This lock includes a permanently mounted plate, a keeper member
and a lock mechanism which prevents disattachment of an attached trailer
vehicle and prevents the attachment of a disattached trailer to an
unauthorized tractor vehicle. Since this lock is designed to be a
permanent part of the trailer tongue, it could only be used in an
application where the user owns the trailer vehicle and is willing to
modify it to accept the locking mechanism.
The trailer lock shown in FIG. 2 is particularly described in U.S. Pat. No.
4,542,914. This lock includes a permanently installed device which is
either secured in the ground or in some other structural material. Since
this lock is designed to be used at a fixed location only, it lacks the
utility of the present invention.
While both of these prior art trailer locks are well suited for their
intended purpose, they would not be particularly well suited for the
renter of trailer vehicles or the mobile traveler. The present invention,
on the other hand, is designed to provide a simple, rugged and temporary
solution to the user.
The first version of the trailer lock 10 is illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4 and
5. The device 10 is of very simple and rugged construction and consists
essentially of a ball 12, a locking hasp 14 and a chain 16. The ball 12
would be the same size as a typical trailer hitch ball, i.e., 17/8" or 2"
or 2 5/16" in diameter. The locking hasp 14 is fixed to ball 12 by
conventional means and is intended to connect ball 12 to chain 16. As
shown in FIG. 4, the ball 20 can be selectively positioned within a ball
receiving socket 21 associated with virtually any type of goose neck
trailer hitch tongue 18, while the chain 16 can then be secured to a
handle 23 or some other structure when the lock assembly 10 is not being
used.
Referring specifically to FIG. 5, the invention is shown installed in a
typical trailer tongue 19. In practice, ball 12 mounts closely within a
formed socket member 20. This socket member 20 has a movable wedge or
finger (not shown) located therein which is releasably secured against the
undersurface of the ball 12 by a spring loaded lever 22. Upon restraining
the lever 22 in its closed position, and thus locking the ball 12 in
place, the chain 16 is secured by passing lock 24 through the holes 26 in
the lever 22.
An alternative embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 6 through 8.
In this embodiment, the ball 28 is similar in design to the ball 12 of the
preferred embodiment with the exception of the slight modification to the
construction. In this regard, referring to FIG. 7 small holes 30 extend
through the ball 28 to allow oil to flow freely. The oil provides a means
of lubrication for extended periods of storage, thereby preventing the
rusting of ball 28 and socket 20. The small apertures 30 in the ball 28
allow oil to drain from inside of ball. An external replaceable foam
rubber coating 34 is stretched over the ball 28 and is saturated with the
lubricating oil so as to provide a controlled dispersion of the oil to
ball 28 and socket 20. A lubricant refill hole 36 is also provided.
As to the manner of usage and operation of the present invention, the same
should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further
discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the
optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to
include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of
operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to
one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those
illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are
intended to be encompassed by the present invention.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the
principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and
changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired
to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and
described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may
be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.
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